Incarnate
by Cyber Rellik
Summary: Ten years after the death of the Avatar, Toph has become a shadow of her former self. After finding that which she'd lost so long ago, she must cope with the truth and find out what lengths she will go to to be with her love. Chapter Five updated! Taang
1. Prologue

Incarnate

Toph stumbled along the dirt road, deep in thought. Her head hung low, she constantly had to pull herself from her musings to avoid falling into the ditch. She gave up only after a couple of hours on her journey and fell to the ground. She closed her eyes, and soon she was gone.

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_The soldiers clashed. For seemed like hours, fire shot into the sky, the earth rumbled constantly, and the sound of metal on metal rang throughout the courtyard. Finally, after only 30 minutes, the last of the Royal Guard fell beneath Sokka's feet._

"_Come on, Let's go!" Sokka led the remnants of the massive Earth army into the castle, Katara close behind. As Aang began to follow, he felt a hand on his shoulder._

"_Aang, wait." It was Toph._

"_Yes?" He answered, turning. He had a puzzled, if not agitated look on his face. Of course, she couldn't know that._

"_This is it. This is the culmination of your entire journey. Are you ready for this?"_

"_I… I think so."_

"_Good. Just remember what I taught you, and you'll be fine."_

"_Don't worry."_

"_Oh, and before you go." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, leaving him confused, albeit pleased. "Good luck, pupil Aang."_

_Aang nodded, and turned. He faced the Castle one last time, and hesitated. He looked to Toph, and then back to the entrance to the courtyard, overlooking the bay. He noticed the Alliance Navy seemed to have pulled back, or, he gulped, been obliterated._

_Toph's head jerked up, her attention directed to the arch marking the only entrance into the now-destroyed courtyard. "Go, they're coming. I'll cover the rear." Aang hesitated once more, looking at her, then the entrance. "GO!" Aang took one last glance as the first Fire Nation soldier rounder the corner, only to fall into the massive fissure created by Toph a second earlier. He nodded, then ran into the fortress-castle. That was the last Toph saw of a living, breathing Aang._


	2. Chapter One: The Message

**I honestly have no idea how long the chapters will be. They could be anywhere from 100 to 10,000 words, potentially. **

**I'm not gonna say which one, but I did get the idea plot from a Nicole Kidman movie. I know, sad. But if any Kidman stalker/perverts are reading this, you might catch on real quickly.**

**Also, this is a flashback. Toph is dreaming about the final assault on Ozai's fortress/castle thing. Hence the _italics. _If it's in italics, it's in her head, mmkay?**

Chapter One: Message

_Toph smirked as the last of the firebenders disappeared beneath the quicksand, his screams stifled as his head was lost amongst the deceptive sand. She lay down to tend to a burn a lucky firebender had inflicted upon her, before he had been thrown from the ground into the fissure. She could feel them stamping and screaming in the small cave she had made for them beneath the rock. It's only too bad she couldn't hear what they were saying. She toyed with the idea of poking her head in to tell them of her… disability._

_While she fantasized about their reactions to learning they'd had their asses whooped by a blind girl, she felt a number of people trundling toward her position from the fortress-castle. She jerked herself to an upright position, ready to defend herself when she recognized one set of the footsteps. Sokka? Yes, those were his footsteps alright. She also felt the footsteps of 15 earthbenders, 6 less than who had joined Sokka and Katara in the assault. Toph's eyes widened as she had a momentary panic attack. Wait, Katara! Where is she? She then sighed with relief as she felt the somewhat lighter footsteps of Katara come into range of Toph's senses. Yes, her steps were noticeably lighter than the other, larger men, but certainly not as light as-_

_Toph froze. She quickly accounted for every moving creature in the parade coming closer. Yes, 15 earthbenders, Sokka and Katara. No more, no less. Needless to say, it wasn't the no less that brought a tear to her eye._

"Aang!"

Toph awoke with a scream. Beads of sweat dripped off her long, black hair. She panted with her head in her hands, and as the panting slowly gave in to crying, she lost all control.

For an hour she sat there, on the cold, damp earth (Not that she wasn't used to it by now), sobbing uncontrollably into her hands. _Ten years. Ten years it's been since he died, and you're still crying like a baby!_ Toph slowly gained control of her tears, although she took her time to stop the flow completely.

_Well, I'm sorry. I just… can't… accept it…_

_Well then accept it!_

_But… Aang…_

_Yes, yes, Aang. But you're not Aang, are you? You're Toph! You're the toughest person in the earth kingdom! Are you… Are you becoming… sensitive?_

_No! No, of course not!_

_Then why are you doing this to yourself? You've done more than anyone else has! YOU were the one who found that band of airbenders, YOU were the one who convinced them to come out of hiding! You were the one who stopped the rebellion at Elan, were you not?_

_Yeah… Yeah I was! I'm better than this!_

_Then stop being a fucking nomad, and go home!_

_But what would Mother and Father say?_

_WHO CARES?_

_Well, it has been 10 years…_

_WHAT DID WE JUST GET DONE TALKING ABOUT?_

_I'm sorry._

_Sheesh. Let's go._

_But how do we get there?_

_Dunno._

_I see…_

For three days, Toph continued along the path, hoping for any signs of civilization. Fortunately, she was no longer plagued by visitations from the past, so she was able to enjoy the trek in a fair amount of tranquility. Eventually she came across a traveler, and judging by the amount of weight on his small feet, he was packing heavy.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"What can I do for you, ma'am?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest town is, would you?"

"Yeah… it's about…" Toph felt his stance shift, indicating he was looking over his shoulder. "4 hours, maybe? Straight shot from here, just follow the path and you'll be there in no time." Toph noticed a bit of uncertainty in his voice, obviously at his realizing she was blind. "Would you like me to walk you back there? I can postpone my trip a day." Toph was infuriated. She wanted to rage and scream at him. She opened her mouth to yell at him, tell him she could see better than him, and that she needed no help from anyone, especially a peasant like him. Toph quickly regained control of her mouth, answered with a lame "No thank you", and simply walked passed him, feeling his eyes on the back of her head. She ignored his stare, and marched for one… two… three hours down the path. As the fourth hour neared, she began to see signs of human life. The trees were lightening, eventually giving way to plains and farms. She felt the stomping of cattle, the waddling of ducks near ponds, the footsteps of farmers and their families in the fields. She continued on for a half hour, both excited and nervous at the prospect of "seeing" people again. It'd been two weeks since she'd passed through a human settlement, and now she was going to find out how much longer until she'd see her parents.

The news was bittersweet. It was only a day's walk away, something she hadn't expected. She'd expected at least a week of travel, giving her more time to mentally prepare herself for her return home. However, she supposed that she had a less likely chance of over-thinking her decision, possibly causing a panic attack halfway down the road. She figured that she'd have to settle with one day of preparations, and then begin her hike at the crack of dawn. She got a meal, the first hot one she'd had in two weeks, and then rented a room in a motel. She got cleaned up, and loved the ability to sleep in warm sheets again. She undid the covers, slid into bed, and by the time the sheets had reached her neck, she was asleep.

"_Where's… Where's Aang?"_

"_Toph, I'm sorry, but Aang… Aang…"_

"_Aang what?"_

"_Aang's dead."_

"_What? How is that possible? Oh, I get it! Aang's flying around over me! Come on, Aang, that's not funny, come down!"_

"_Toph, I'm not kidding, Aang's gone. Ozai hit him with lightning right before he died."_

"_Uh-huh, sure. Where is Aang, seriously?"_

"_LISTEN! DO YOU THINK I WOULD JOKE ABOUT THIS? AANG'S DEAD!"_

"_Toph, we're all hurt by this, but we can pull through this, we can get over i-"_

"_Shut up, Katara!"_

"_Toph, listen… Toph? Are… are you okay? Toph!"_

Toph sat bolt upright, sweat rolling down her back. _When will I get over this? It's been ten years. I'm twenty-two, I'm not a little girl anymore._ Toph sighed, and sat with her elbows on her knees, staring, though not seeing, at the bed. _Hopefully, I'll be able to cope with it when I get home. Argh! Why can't I stop thinking about it? Come on, Toph, you're better than this!_

_If I might make a suggestion…_

Oh, shut up. Toph glanced around her room, noticing the lighter tinge than from when she'd woken up. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and grunted as she got out of the bed. She sauntered over to her clothes, and picked out her nicer set of traveling attire. She yawned, and then hit the road, snatching something out of a cart as she walked up the street. Unfortunately, it was a papaya. Oh, how she hated papaya.

Toph continued on, nibbling on her despised fruit as she passed through the village's gates. The trip was for the most part uneventful, aside from an attempted robbery that resulted in the robbers becoming locked in a rock cell. She reached her house in the late afternoon, judging by the position of the sun on her neck. She leaned on the building across the street, thinking to herself about the consequences of what she was about to do. She'd confronted Xin Fu and Master Yu long ago, they'd returned to her parents with her letter explaining everything. Hopefully, it had reached her parents. She sighed finally, and slowly began to walk towards the house that had been her prison so long ago.

"Halt, who are you and what business do you have?" Demanded the guard. Toph sighed.

"Move it, Koro."

"Mi… Mistress Toph! The Master has been worried sick, ever since he received your letter." Exclaimed the guard, completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah, that's nice." Said Toph in a monotone voice, moving past the guard and walking through the gardens towards the front doors. She walked up the marble staircase and flung the doors wide. As the doors closed behind her, she felt as if she had locked the door to her own cell.

Toph stomped through her house, wondering where her parents could be. It was late in the afternoon, so she figured they were in the dining room, preparing for dinner. She stumbled through the house, having trouble remembering where exactly the dining room was. After running into a bust of Avatar Kyoshi, she finally got her bearings and remembered that she was on the wrong side of the house. She promptly made an about-face and sped down the hall, weaving between servants, many of whom dropped whatever was in their arms and gawked. As Toph inched down the hallway adjoining the dining room, she calmly dispersed the crowd circling around her (Calm for her meaning utilizing near-threats and blackmail), and paused at the grand oak doors to the dining hall. She stopped moving, trying to listen for any sounds. It took a moment for her to hear anything, but in that time she registered 5 people in the room through the vibrations, Mother, Father, two waiters, and… "Yes, masters, I assure you, your daughter is here." Koro…

"Koro, I swear, if you are lying to me, so help me I will fire you and make sure neither you nor any of your family ever become employed again."

"I assure you, sir, this is no jest."

"Well, seeing as my daughter is not here, I'm thinking I'll just have to let you go." Toph had had enough. She flung the doors wide and strode into the room.

"That won't be necessary, father." Toph smirked as her parents sat dumbfounded in their chairs.

"Toph!"

"You've come home!" Toph's mother flung her chair backwards, and rushed to embrace her daughter. "It's been so long! We were starting to lose hope we'd ever see you again! And… And then… When we got the message from your water tribe friend, we feared the worst…"

"What message?"

"Oh, honey, it's not important, don't worry, just worry abou-"

"What message?" Toph's mother looked shocked that her daughter would focus on such a thing in a time like this.

"Well, honey… Your Water Tribe friend sent a message from the South Pole."

"And what did it say?" Toph had to restrain herself from strangling her mother out of frustration.

"Well… They asked you to go there as soon as you received the news."

"AND WHAT WAS THE NEWS?"

"The… The Avatar is back. But… but dear, certainly you can wait a few days, we have so much to talk about…" But before she could finish her sentence, Toph was out the door.

**Phew, that took way too long.7 ½ pages in Microsoft Word. I dunno if any of you guys are starting to get what's going on, butthe Kidman stalker-perverts probably know which movie I found my inspiration from. I only actually worked on it for two days. I hope the length made up for the shitty first chapter/prologue thing. I think it was written much better, but, hell, it's up to you all.**

**I never planned for Toph to start going Schizo, but, hey, go with the flow. She's not actually schizo, but she obviously is hurt in the head a bit. I tried to keep her as IC as possible, but also tried to factor in 10 years of wandering and loneliness.**


	3. Chapter Two: Second Chance

I think it should be noted that I make this as I go along. I don't plan, I don't brainstorm, I start typing and figure out what my character would do in this situation. I'm not self promoting (at all. Nope, sooo not me) but I'm letting you know why there will be possible inconsistencies and writers block could be devastating to this fic. I'm debating whether to re-write the Prologue, but I don't know if I have enough self-discipline to do so. Honestly, I practically vomited when I read over the Prologue. Chapter One was apparently the longest thing I've ever written, so… Yay! Also, this has apparently been viewed like 200 times, with, like, 5 reviews. That makes me sad. I'm not begging for reviews, but, you know, if you ever feel like it… wink So, without further stalling, I present Chapter Two: Second Chance

Chapter Two: Second Chance

Toph took a moment to register what her mother had told her. _The Avatar… No, Aang… Back? But… But how?_ Toph was overwhelmed. Her mother continued to talk, as if oblivious to her daughter's pain. Was it pain? Toph couldn't tell if she was ecstatic or depressed, possibly a little of both. But one thing she could tell was that she needed to go visit the South Pole. She took off running, not because she was afraid but, because she needed everything to be the same, everything needed to be rushing. Thoughts, body, everything. She couldn't think. Movemovefastfastfast. Her mind was so overwhelmed, she wasn't even looking where she was going. She just ran, and ran. She ran as fast as she could… straight into a marble wall. She was still rushing as she blacked out.

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"_Where… Where am I? What happened?"_

"_Toph, Toph can you hear me?"_

"_Well, what do you think, dumbass? Would I answer your question if I couldn't hear you? Where are we?"_

"_Medical wing of the E.K.S. Kyoshi." Kyoshi… Who was Kyoshi? An… An Avatar. Avatar… Like… Aang…_

"_Where's Aang?"_

"_Toph, you're here because you fainted."_

"_Okay, first, I don't faint. And what the hell does that have to do with Aang?"_

"_Because you fainted when I told you Aang is dead."_

"_Wha-?"_

"_Toph, how much do you remember?"_

"_Not much, I can't really remember anything."_

"_Nothing?"_

"_Not really."_

"_I suppose it's for the best."_

"_Oh, and why is that?"_

"_Toph…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_What do you remember about Aang?"_

"_I… remember I… loved him."_

"_What?"_

"_I… love…"_

"_Toph? Toph!"_

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"Toph, sweetie, are you okay?" There were fuzzy movements around Toph. Her thoughts were still racing as she hovered between the dream world and the real world.

"Ilovedaang!" Toph was grounded by her stupidity. Her massive embarrassment and what it could mean ripped any pain, any disorientation from her mind. Funny, how a petty little thing like that could grind her mind to a halt.

"What was that, Toph?"

"Uh... What was what?" Toph decided to play it dumb for now.

"Nothing." _Score!_

"How long was I out?"

"Only an hour. You have a lump as large as your head. It would be wise to get some rest for a while." Of course, the mention of her injury only brought forth the pain, causing her eyes to water and forcing her to bite her lip.

"How'd that happen?"

"You were running, and you hit your head on the wall." _Sounds like something a kid would do. Why was I running anyway? Something about the South Pole…_ Toph gasped. "Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" _Aang!_ Toph leapt off her bed and tore down the hall, panic seizing her. As she stumbled over a carpet, she almost fell down a flight of stairs. _Nice Toph, what are you, trying to kill yourself? Take it slow, think this through. We need to get to the South Pole. To get there we need a boat. But first, we need to get to water. Where can we find… That's right! The Sozang! It connects the North and South oceans, that's how I'll get there! _

_Good, Toph, now about that boat…_

_Oh, just shut up. I'm sure dad's got a boat. We'll just go get it, a crew, and we'll be off. Let's see… Do we have a crew?_

_Your father does._

_Oh yeah._ With that and a newfound sanity, Toph calmly exited the mansion, feeling proud about her self-control. She strutted down the streets, suppressing any thoughts about Aang, Katara, anything. She whistled as she strode down the lawn, nodded to the guards, and walked down the street, smiling.

Eventually, Toph found the port on the Sozang River, and felt around. She was amazed at how many people there were, more than she'd seen ever since the incident in the Fire Natio- _No, don't think about that. Think happy, think happy._ "Excuse me, ma'am?" Toph, not knowing she was being spoken to, continued her mental battle to suppress her emotions. "Miss Toph!" Toph was jerked back to reality at the sound of her name.

"Huh?"

"Miss Toph, my name is Roraak, I was sent by Miss Katara to deliver a message to your parents."

"Oh, yes. Wait, how did you know it was me?"

"We were given a portrait of you in case we came across you in our travels."

"Well, I haven't seen Katara in ten years, so that's a picture of when I was twelve."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, you're probably the only black-haired blind girl in this entire city. You stand out quite a bit." Toph smiled at the man's ingenuity, however she smacked him all she same.

"So, what do you want?"

"Ma'am, if you would like, we could take you back with us. Our boat certainly isn't the Kyoshi, but it suffices." Toph didn't need to even think it over.

"Let's go."

"All aboard!"

The captain began to walk away, but Toph stopped him. "Roraak!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Let me put my hand on your shoulder, it's hard to know where you are." At this, Roraak blushed, but did as she said, and led her onto the boat. He led her to her room, which happened to be the storage compartment, but she didn't mind. She lay on the cot provided, and she had a hard time falling asleep, memories slowly began to trickle into her mind. She lay on the cot, eyes wide open, with visions dancing around in her head. She lay for hours before fatigue took over.

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_Toph was in a swamp. It was a horrible feeling. The ground was too wet and soggy for her to see, she constantly tripped over roots, soaking her thoroughly. She was lost… and scared. Suddenly, out of the silence. A voice spoke, whispering right into her ear._

"_Why didn't you protect me, Toph?"_

"_Aang?"_

"_You could've done something... You could've been there for me."_

"_I'm sorry! I didn't think! I felt I needed to fight them, it's not my fault!"_

"_You know what I was thinking, Toph? Right before I died? I was thinking of you. I was thinking about how you kissed me, about what it meant. You distracted me, Toph. Ozai didn't kill me, you did."_

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"NOOOO! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

"Toph, Toph, what's the matter?"

"PLEASE, NO, STOP!"

"Toph!"

"DON'T HURT ME, I'M SORRY, PLEASE!"

"Get some ropes!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO, PLEASE DON'T!"

"Tie down her arms and legs, I don't want her to hurt herself!"

"AANG! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

"Toph! Toph! It's okay, Toph! Nobody's going to hurt you!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT, PLEASE, JUST GO AWAY!"

"Knock her out!"

"What, sir?"

"Do it!"

"Aye Aye._"_

For the rest of the trip, Toph was in terrible condition. She never fully returned to consciousness. She muttered in her sleep, sure, but never spoke to anyone outside her head. She vomited constantly, and probably would've died if there hadn't been a waterbender on board. The boat arrived in the small Water Tribe city three days after departure from the mainland, and Toph was immediately taken to the infirmary on her cot by the haggard-looking boatmen. The small welcoming party, consisting of Sokka, Katara, Kanna, Pakku and a small boy looked on in concern as she was rushed past them by the crew. Katara pulled the captain aside and brought him to her house for questioning. When they emerged an hour later, she looked grave.

It took a week for Toph to recover. She'd been slipping in and out of consciousness for a few days, but finally she had full control of her body. She took her time in sitting up, wary of pain, and when she had sat up fully, she had a strange thought. She heard nothing. No breathing, talking or footsteps. It was perfectly quiet. "Hello?" Nothing. She rotated her head around, trying to pick up the slightest sounds. Silence. She sighed as she began to lay down, thinking she was dreaming. She lay on her bed for a while, eyes staring unseeingly. She twitched at a pain in her eye. _Great, now I have a migraine too. _She turned onto her stomach and pressed her face into her pillow, relieving some of the pain. Suddenly, a voice. No, now two voices. And footsteps! She strained her ears to catch the conversation.

"All I'm saying is that if she doesn't wake up soon we may need to put her in a long term ward."

"And I'm saying she isn't to be touched. The vomiting's stopped and she's been flipping in and out of consciousness for days. She's getting better."

"Be that as it may, if she doesn't snap out of it by tomorrow, I'm sending her to long term care." The door slammed open, causing warning sirens to go off in Toph's head. She felt as if her head had split open.

"Oooow!"

"Toph, you're awake!"

"Ooow!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Yeah,I think so. Just a migraine, don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katara smiled. Toph was almost exactly like she remembered.

"Miss Toph?" Toph's head snapped to the direction of the voice.

"Yeah?"

"You… have a visitor."

"Whatever."

"Alright, Kyroh, you can come in now."

"Hi, Toph!"

_Who is that?"_Hello. Mind telling me your name?"

"I'm… Kyroh."

"And why did you want to visit me, Kyroh?" The response wasn't beside her bed, as was the last one, but right next to her ear, in a barely audible whisper.

"Because you loved me."

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**Right, well, I think that's enough. Sorry it's shorter than last time word-wise, but it did reach 8 ½ pages. So… Yay for dialogue! You may have noticed the whole Aang/swamp thing was intense. It was supposed to be. I had the scene from Mystic River in mind, the one where the guy found out his daughter was dead. Talk about intense. No, I didn't see that either, just previews. And, I've finally given up, and I'm gonna tell you. The Nicole Kidman movie I got my inspiration from was Birth. I haven't seen it, but my mom has it at her crib, yo. You may have noticed I changed the summary again. It's because I've changed the focus from her debating with herself on whether it was right to love a nine year old boy. What is it now? I dunno. We'll see where I'm going at the end of this scene. I'm still deciding on whether Aang will be the controlling mind (I have no reasons why that would happen, maybe because he died so young) or if it's a new child with moments where Aang has control. If you're reviewing, vote for which you'd prefer.**

**Please review.**


	4. Chapter Three: Banishment

**Sorry guys, not as much schizo action today, but what we do see here is vital to the plot. As I type this, I've got a good amount of it finished. I'm not feeling too confident about it, so don't expect the worlds greatest update. I still consider Chapter One (Not the prologue) to be my best one yet. Btw, it's pronounced Key-row. I should've taken a moment to realize that his name sounds a lot like Iroh, so I'm making it pronounced Key-row. And no, Iroh isn't in this. Oh yeah, there isn't exactly "fluff" per say in this chapter, it's more like… Styrofoam. Don't worry, I'm getting there. **

Chapter Three: Banishment

Toph gasped. The child… had changed. He hadn't spoken in his high, shrill voice he'd used when he'd first spoken to her. He'd… he'd become Aang… He sounded so mature, so… solemn. She knew this boy, this Kyroh, had many more secrets than he let on. Simply by the way the doctor (Toph assumed that was the other man) talked to him, Toph knew he had no idea who the child was. Certainly Katara knew, as well as the captain of the boat, but who else? Did any of the villagers know that the most powerful being on the planet lived among them? Toph felt the Kyroh's breath on her neck. _How long is he going to stand there? If he isn't gonna say anything… _However, almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt the warm air leave her neck, and she thought she felt a small part of her wish it back. Toph heard the child back away, and then he exclaimed, in the same squeaky voice he'd used when he first entered the room, "Bye Miss Toph-lady!" and she heard him scurry out of the room. Toph couldn't bear it any more.

"Katara? I need to speak with you. _Now._"

"Doctor, if you'll excuse us."

"Yes, ma'am." Toph heard the doctor exit the room, closing a door behind him. Toph turned to where she'd last heard Katara's voice.

"Who knows?"

"Me, Sokka, Pakku, Gran Gran, and Roraak."

"You positive that's all?"

"Absolutely." Toph sighed with relief. "Did he… talk to you?"

"Well, of course, you heard him."

"You know what I meant." Toph thought for a moment before replying.

"Yes." It came out as a whisper, barely audible even to Toph.

"What does it mean?"

"What do you mean, what does it mean? He's the avatar, not that hard, is it?"

"I meant the fact Aang had control of Kyroh's body. He shouldn't be able to do that, Kyroh should have complete control."

"I don't know." Toph smiled. "But I like it."

"Well I don't. I think it could seriously mess up his life, if he's got two personalities."

"Two personalities…" Toph suddenly had a theory. A crazy theory, sure, but what if…

"Toph?"

"Katara… what if 'Kyroh' never had control, never even existed, and it's been Aang the entire time?"

"Don't be silly Toph, he can't be. He died, he was reincarnated as someone else. Kyroh has Aang's memories, sure, but it can't be Aang." Toph wasn't convinced, but she was too weak to argue.

"Whatever you say." Toph leaned her head back onto the pillow, eyes staring at the ceiling. "Katara?"

"Hmm?" It appeared Katara had been trying to sneak away, as she was much farther than when she'd last answered.

"When I'm out of here, I'll need a house."

"You mean…"

"Yep, I'm staying here for good."

It took three days. Three, miserable, agonizing days of waiting, of watching, for Toph's plan to work. She wasn't the most patient person in the world, she grew more and more restless as time progressed. She hadn't had many visitors since the incident, Katara came to check up on her a couple times, but other than that, the only person that came to see her was Kyroh. He'd snuck into the hospital in the dead of night, to catch her asleep. He'd crawled up to her bedside to whisper softly into her ear, "and I loved you too", before softly pecking her on the cheek, and sneaking out again. As he turned his back and exited the door, Toph smiled slightly knowingly. Knowing all too well what had happened, knowing her plan had worked, knowing the answer she'd been seeking for ten years.

Toph decided to spend the next night in the hospital. She'd been ready to go the day after Kyroh's, no, _Aang's_ visit, but she felt she deserved a good night's rest to make up for all that lost sleep. She also wanted to revel in her joy. She toyed with the idea of telling Katara what had transpired the night before, but she wasn't sure how she would take it. She decided to keep it a secret from everyone, even Kyroh. Toph had the best night's sleep of her life that evening. For the first time in her life, she had no weight on her shoulders. There were no negatives to her life, no issues, no problems, nothing. She lay her head down on the bed, the biggest smile of her existence plastered on her face. She loved the feel of the cool, soft pillow, the warm sheets, the cool air. She felt that her life was going better than she could ever have imagined.

"_Ah, but is it?"_

"_Shut up. My life is fine. I don't need you."_

"_You're glad you've found Aang again, are you not?"_

"_Yep. And I don't need you anymore, so fuck off."_

"_Ooh, big words coming from a woman in love with a nine-year-old."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Think, woman. The child is nine years old. You're twenty-two. See a problem?"_

"_I don't care, I've finally found Aang again."_

"_But have you? How do you know that's even his body? He's rarely even in control of it, most of the time it's the Kyroh kid."_

"_So?"_

"_So, what would happen if you were to get married? You'd wake up with a nine-year-old, and he'd wake up and freak out that this woman has kidnapped him."_

"_Kyroh's not important…"_

"_No, Toph, he is important. You would have to love him, too. Do you love Kyroh?"_

"_Shut up! Just shut up! You're lying! Aang's in control, Aang's been putting on an act all this time, waiting for me! You're just jealous!"_

"_Jealous? Oh yes, I'm super jealous of your nine year old boyfriend."_

"_Go away."_

"_What?"_

"_Go away. I'm sick and tired of you. This is my head, my life. Leave. You have no place here."_

"_I'm the only think keeping you from killing yourself. You're nothing without me."_

"_Leave!"_

"_You will regret this."_

"Toph, Toph, wake up." Toph felt a pair of hands on each of her shoulders, gently shaking her awake. Such… _small_ hands…

"Huh? Wasgoinon?"

"Toph, it's time to wake up." The voice again

"5 more minutes mommy." Toph just wanted to sleep. Lessons could wait till later.

"Mommy? Toph, I'm not your 'mommy'." _Wait a second…_

"Aa… Aang?"

"Shh, not now. Come on, Toph, we need to leave." Toph felt the boy tug on her shoulders, urging her to sit up and come with him.

"What? Why?"

"Come on." And with that, he pulled her off of the bed, not gently, but certainly not roughly. For the first time in over a week, she could see again. She immediately stomped her foot on the ground, attempting to send out as many vibrations as possible. She quickly took note of everything in the room. The bed she'd been confined to, along with maybe a few dozen more, all in a very large room, roughly equivalent to her parent's dining hall. She smiled at being able to fend for herself again, at the lack of helplessness brought about by complete blindness.

It had taken her a while, but her attention was finally drawn to the boy rummaging through the small bag at the side of her bed. He was small, very small. He was light on his feet, as he had always been, but still, not light enough. He turned around, surprising her, and he shoved a handful of something into her arms. "Put these on, we need to go **now.**" Toph, perplexed, felt around the things he'd given her, realizing they were clothes. She quickly felt her body, and when the first thing she made contact with was skin, she panicked. She darted to cover herself up, and in doing so, she dropped the clothes. Fortunately, she found her undergarments were still on, and she dove to pick the clothes back up, and she made a mental note that she wasn't blushing or, for that matter, all that embarrassed. She still got the robe on (for that was what it was) as quickly possible. As soon as her arms were through the sleeves, her right hand was grasped by the tiny boy, and she was pulled out of the room in an instant, barely able to keep her balance. Toph was pulled out a door, and into the cool night air. For five minutes they weaved through the small city, until Aang came to a complete halt, causing Toph to crash into him, sending the child toppling. Toph bent over to him and apologized profusely, but Aang simply waved it off. He advised her to grab a hold of his hand, something she gladly did, and pulled her through a narrow tunnel. She felt the tunnel slowly widening, eventually giving way to a small cavern. From what she could tell, there was nothing in it, just ice… and rock a good mile beneath. They traversed the rest of the ice tunnel, and finally came upon the cavern. Toph reluctantly released Aang's hand, and went to a wall, where she dropped onto the floor and sat. However, she almost immediately leapt back onto her feet. It was **freezing**! She strained herself now, bending the rock deep beneath the ice, and pulled it up from the depths of the frozen ocean. It took much of her energy to complete the task, but once the rock was above the ice, she morphed it into a rock couch, softening it up enough that it would be comfortable. She sat down on it, exhausted. It was now that she realized that Aang hadn't said a word during the whole ordeal, he had simply stared at her. Oh, how she wished she could see his expression. Toph smiled at him, and gestured to the spot beside her. Aang walked over to the couch, and she sensed a slight hesitation in the way he moved. However, any second thoughts she may have had were doused when he sat beside her on her right, placed his arms around her and leaned his head into her side. _Look how small he is, his feet don't even reach the floor. _Toph placed and arm around him and he sighed, breaking the silence. "Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to tell you. When you came in the night before last, I wasn't asleep."

"I know."

"You… know?"

"Yep" Aang's face brightened, and he flashed Toph a big grin, before realizing she couldn't see it.

"But… how?" Toph was utterly perplexed.

"You were all tense. When you sleep, you're really calm and relaxed."

"Maybe I changed my habits over the last ten years. You never know."

"No, I mean now. These days, when you're asleep, you're relaxed."

"So you knew I was awake?"

"Yep."

"And you came in anyway?"

"Yep!"

"And kissed me and said you loved me?"

"Absolutely."

"Aang…"

"Yeah Toph?"

"Did you mean it?"

"Yeah." Toph smiled and ruffled his hair.

"You know something, Aang? You have a way with making things look like accidents, you know that?"

"That's what they tell me!" Aang chirped proudly.

"So why'd you bring me here in the middle of the night?"

"Because, Toph, we need to talk."

And that's where I leave you! Yes, I know, the chapter sucked, but I hope you guys enjoyed the Styrofoam! Also, this chapter rounded out at 1,994 words, and 8 ½ pages! Yay! It is officially the second longest in both words and Microsoft Word length! Actually, it may be the longest, as the two thousand something included the black text thingies. I' trying to hold back on the real "fluff", as the kid's 9, and I am NOT a supporter of NAMBLA. Or NAWBLA, I guess, but whatever. I still don't thing this story's all that good, and this one was the worst chapter yet (The prologue is teetering on the edge of canonship right now). But you still don't know whether Kyroh is real! Haha! But I assure you, you'll find out next chapter. I'm starting to get the ending brainstormed, but it all depends on how I decide to go on a certain thing. Oh, and this might be the last update for a while. I'll try to squeeze one in, but I doubt I'll be able to. With the side notes, this is my longest chapter yet. REVIEW!

P.S. The Banishment in the chapter title is referring to Toph's removal of her tough/angry voice.


	5. Chapter Four: What Must be Done

Vootness, chapta fivezorz! Nearing 700 views as of right now, I'm feeling appreciative. Without you guys, this never could have been possible. Thanks for reviewing (That was sarcasm) Oh, and abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz, we won't be seeing the banished voice playing a large role again. I've already narrowed my next fic's subject down, it'll either be where Aang was actually conscious those 100 years in the ice berg and is actually an evil mastermind (pretty dumb, but I've always wondered about it. It'll be interesting, trust me), and the other is a simple Taang, from Aang's standpoint (Not First-Person!), as he tries to win her over. Certainly I'll have a yet-to-be-determined twist, as I like the psychological aspects of these things. Please review and pick which you'd like, as I need some help. But anyway, here's Chapter Four: What Must Be Done!

Chapter Four: What Must be Done

Toph hadn't been paying attention. Aang had laid his hands upon hers, and it'd taken her to a different place. She'd been immersed in memories, in reactions, in plans. Her mind had begun to race. _Are we going to kiss? We've already done it, but, not for real. Does he truly love me? I know I love him, but… can we be together? What about his Avatar training, won't that get in the way? Could we run away? Could we escape to, say, Omashu? There are plenty of refugees there, we'd blend right in._

"Toph?" Toph was ripped from her musings, and she replied a bit more harshly than she had intended.

"What?" Toph mentally berated herself for her lack of control.

"Um, did you hear me?" Toph hadn't, and Aang knew it. She just needed to come out with it, and he'd be fine. However, Aang was certain she'd try to find an excuse, and he intended to toy with her about it.

"Well… uh…" Toph was at a standstill, unsure of what to do. She raced to find an explanation, and, suddenly, she was overcome. Not with grief, not with ecstasy, but with _lust_. A need, a desire for this boy. Ten years of longing exploded within her all at once, all reason, all doubt gone from her mind. She thrust her arms out, grabbed him round the middle and pulled him towards her, with a simple yelp of surprise being his answer. She raised her arms behind his head, and she pulled his head close to hers, while Aang was on his knees, balancing himself on her thighs. Without so much as a flinch, she raised him on a small stone pillar, so he could sit at eye level with her, as her equal, her partner. She rested his forehead against hers, staring into his eyes, trying to communicate without speaking, without spoiling the moment. She felt his head bob, a sure sign he agreed, and she moved her head forward, while he did the same. Their noses made contact, the last chance to pull out and leave safe. _Safe, but disappointed_. Before any doubt could cross her mind, Toph closed the distance, touching the lovers' lips. There they sat, paralyzed for what seemed like eternity, unsure of what to do. They stared into each other's eyes, searching for a sign. Toph sensed a sudden aura of assuredness in the boy, an aura of confidence. He grew more relaxed, more open. She herself grew confident at this and threw caution to the wind. They gripped each other tighter, pulling one another into a deep kiss. They loved it, savoring every moment. They stayed together, releasing ten years of ache, of craving, of yearning, all into this one kiss. On the inside, Toph screamed with joy. This was her dream, her ambition. She had wandered ten years, waiting for this moment, and now it had come. Finally they pulled apart, albeit reluctantly. Toph smiled, and she knew Aang smiled back, and they pulled each other into a deep embrace."

"I love you, Toph."

"I love you, Aang." Toph was ecstatic. Her passion, her soul was poured into this time they had together, and she did not intend to let it go so easy. She held on to Aang for the longest time.

"Toph…" Choked out Aang. Toph knew he was on the verge of tears, about to implode. Toph was perturbed. Still, she replied as bluntly as possible.

"Yeah?"

"This can't go on. I can't love you if I'm not even me." Toph was shocked. After all this, everything she'd sacrificed, he was letting go? Toph couldn't bear it.

"You… after all this time, all the sacrifices I made… you're… leaving? Just like that? I won't let you, I'll never let you go!"

"No, Toph, it's nothing like that! I just… can't bear to go through with this if I'm trapped in the body of a nine-year-old!" Toph found this ridiculous. How could Aang be so self-conscious when there were obviously much more important things at hand?

"What does it matter? We're together, that's all that matters now."

"No, Toph we're not. I only have power over this body at night. I can't control anything that happens during the day." The young woman appeared deep in thought. Her soft features silhouetted against her long black hair created a stunning image, almost divine. Aang had a sharp pang of guilt at troubling such a beautiful woman. Aang himself slowly pressed deeper into his own reflections. He was jolted to reality when Toph spoke.

"Is there any way… Any way we can return you to your former body?" Aang was surprised at this.

"No… I don't think so. Wait…" A thought struck him.

"So there is a way?"

"No. But even better." Toph squealed in glee. Aang stared at her, confused at the uncharacteristic display of emotion. Toph blushed.

"Heh, sorry." Aang shook his head.

"Toph, you need to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you." Aang felt he needed to do that himself, he just couldn't take his eyes off of Toph.

"I'm all ears."

"Toph, no matter what I say, do you trust me?"

"With my life." Aang sighed. He was afraid she'd say that.

"Toph, we've got to kill the most powerful man in the world."

Whoa. I totally didn't expect that. Seriously, I was gonna keep it inside the Water Tribe, and wrap it up next chapter or so. Wtf have I done? Looks like you guys will be getting a hell of a lot more story. I apologize for the shortness, but there's really no filler I can use in this, and I needed to stop at a cliffhanger. Like always. I have no idea where I'm gonna go with this, so expect plot holes and inconsistencies galore. I hope you guys like the fluffiness. Notice how I made it drag on forever? Took like a page. I was gonna make it really graphic (NO INTERCOURSE), but I decided I would leave it to your sick minds what to do with the nine year old child. You know what? Forget all that stuff about new fanfics, guys. Now just review for this. I know a lot of you will be pissed off about how I took a Hollywood-esque twist, but hey, I like this. I drastically changed the writing style in this one, much closer to lolilaughed's uber-descriptive writing, instead of my usual dialogue-and-action style writing. So that's why I'll never be a novelist. Lolilaughed needs to get her sorry ass away from vacation and confine herself to her computer desk, like I have. I… need… updates!

Aang: So guys, R&R!

Toph: Dude, wtf, I can't believe he's been reduced to this.

Aang: I'm certain he's delaying the inevitable posting and going to FlyFF.

Foaming Mouth Guy: Foam


	6. I GIVE YOU LIFE

Yeah, well, I'm just updating to

Bump this, and

Let you all know I intend to revive the story. Next chapter due June 23rd!

Oh, and I'm gonna get my head out of my ass and figure out where to go with this story, and edit the last chapter accordingly.

And now, for some reason, my fic isn't getting bumped to the front. Which is bad. Because I want people to know I'm still here. So, seriously, I think it's a text limit. So I'm gonna write a lot. And even more. Hopefully, I can fix this. I dunno about y'all, but I'm really excited to start working on this again. It's been nagging me for I while, so I'm going to, like, finish it off. FINALLY. Hope you guys like the next few chapters.


	7. Sorry And a surprise

_I know, I lied. I said June 23__rd__. My computer broke, I'm sorry. I ASSURE you, new chapter by the end of the month. I'm not shitting you this time, I will have it finished. By the way, I've found a new direction to take the story, so without further adieu, I present an EDITED version of the last paragraph. And yeah, SotFN totally destroyed any hope I had of Toph seeing on ice, but SHUSH, IT'S A STORY_

"No, Toph we're not. I only have power over this body at night. I can't control anything that happens during the day." The young woman appeared deep in thought. Her soft features silhouetted against her long black hair created a stunning image, almost divine. Aang had a sharp pang of guilt at troubling such a beautiful woman. Aang himself slowly pressed deeper into his own reflections. He was jolted to reality when Toph spoke.

"Is there any way… Any way we can return you to your former body?" Aang was surprised at this.

"No… No, there's no way. But… Ah…" A thought struck him. Toph's eye shined as she imagined the possibilities of finally having Aang, the [ireal[/i Aang, brought back to her. Finally, after years, it was finally happening.

"So… So there is a way? We can turn you back?" Aang was still deep in thought.

"No, that's… I'm sure it's impossible." Toph looked as if her world were going to come crashing down. Aang was sure he felt hope die within her sightless, glazed eyes. "_However_, there may be a way to… Toph?"

"Yeah?" Toph seemed to perk up, and she seemed almost… _eager_.

"Do you… Do you trust me?" Toph chuckled.

"With my_ life_, Aang, you _know_ that." Aang sighed heavily.

"Toph, I'm going to have to… I'm going to…" He seemed at a loss for words. Toph gently grasped his shoulder.

"It's okay, Aang, you can tell me." Aang opened his mouth, but no sound emerged. "Just say it, Aang." There was that fire, it had always appealed to him, it was just so different from anything he'd known, the monks, Roku, Katara… He had to admit, though, it definitely intrigued him. And inspired him.

"I… I'm going to kill Kyroh." It took a second for Toph to understand what he meant. Even then, she didn't get it.

"Please, no, Aang, I've only just found you! And you would kill yourself? Why? What do you think this will accomplish? What are you trying to…" Toph was interrupted by Aang smacking her in the face. "Wha.."

"Toph, listen to me. I'm _not _going to kill myself. I'm going to kill Kyroh. I'm going to take control." Finally, it clicked. Aang wasn't going to kill himself… No, he was going to… What? How did he plan to do this?

"Aang… How… How are you going…" Aang once again cut her off.

"Just trust me Toph, you'll see."

_Holy crap, I suck._


End file.
